02/03/2020
Mount Takao Fire Walking Festival 2020 ⛰
The Fire Walking Festival (hiwatari matsuri) is held near Takaosanguchi Station on the second Sunday of March each year, and attracts about 3,000-4,000 visitors. The main attraction is the monks walking barefoot across the embers of burning wood to cleanse themselves of evil spirits, pray for world peace, longevity, safe passage in life, and general health and safety.
Following the pre-ceremony a square stack of fern leaves and wood is set alight. The heat from this bonfire is intense for about 1-2 minutes until the fern branches burn and the monks begin dowsing the flames with buckets of water. They then spread the ambers and prepare two strips through which they walk barefoot and chanting. Members of the public can also pay a small fee to walk across after the monks (by this stage the ambers are no longer smoldering and there should be no worry of burning your feet).
Festival Times
Note that although the event begins at 1pm, if you want a good view you should aim to get there about one hour beforehand. There are several stalls selling the usual festival fare (takoyaki, fried chicken, chocolate bananas, etc.). The pre-ceremony and burning of the bonfire takes about 90 minutes and the event officially ends at 3:30pm.
How to Get There?
Note that the Fire Walking Festival does not take place at Takaosan Yakuouin Shrine itself, but in a car park a short walk from Takaosanguchi Station. Access is via the Keio Line from Shinjuku Station. It takes approximately one hour and costs ¥390.
www.takaosan.or.jp/english/
Where:
Takaosan Car Park
2390 Takaomachi
Hachioji-shi, Tokyo 193-0844 Japan